REFLECTIONS OF MELTED ICE
by Slash The Psycho
Summary: What happened after MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero and before MK1. NOTE: Chapter 2 contains some suggestions to sexual assault. If you're offended by such things, please refrain from reading the chapter.
1. Default Chapter

This story takes place right after Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. Copyright blah blah blah. If you must know, Chaolan is the younger Sub-Zero that appears in MK2, MK3, MK4, MKDA, and MKD. Sub-Zero, in this story, is the older brother that appears in MKM: SZ and MK1.

Kept Apart

Sub-Zero trained in the Lin Kuei gym. He practiced his kata, making whirling motions with his hands as he carefully moved his feet in a somewhat rhythmic motion. Ever since returning from the Netherealm, he had been doing this frequently. That and the preparation for this tournament that this sorcerer named Shang Tsung had invited him to. Mortal Kombat, he believed it was called. He had heard stories his whole life about the sacred tournament that determined the safety of realms, and Earth was no exception. He also knew about the horrors of Outworld, and its emperor Shao Kahn. Yes, he knew about it all.

But for some reason, it didn't intimidate him as much if it ever did. What he had seen and experienced in the Netherealm was unlike anything he had ever heard about. He barely escaped with his life and soul. He flashed back to all of what he had seen. He remembered murdering his old rival, Scorpion, how immensely satisfying it was. Then, he saw his spirit form in the Prison of Souls. He had almost succeeded in murdering him, and he had these new strange powers. Sub-Zero barely escaped with his life, and he also remembered what Scorpion told him, that he murdered his family, but he didn't. Still, it was probably best that Scorpion was in the Netherealm. No way would he like to face such a beast in battle again.

He flashed back to the four elemental gods he had faced. Now that he knew the purpose of his quest for the amulet, he felt bad for beating them, but couldn't help but feel more confident about his skills after beating them. He, a mere mortal in the eyes of gods, had defeated them all!

He flashed back to the Warden of the Prison of Souls, and the Keepers of the Bridge of Immortality. Horrible creatures they were, indeed, born and created to kill. They were worth having numerous nightmares about, and he wouldn't like to face them again.

He flashed back to the three assassins Kia, Jataaka, and Sareena. Kia and Jataaka were deadly, but Sareena was something else. He had no idea why he unmercifully beat the other two and spared Sareena. What was it about her that made him spare her? He couldn't figure out why, but he felt some sort of attraction to her, something about her fighting skills, her beauty. It was all the mark of a true warrior, but there was more. He couldn't understand, and he was in a way kind of glad she was gone from his life forever. Such emotions really clouded his mind, and in his career he couldn't afford them. Still, he felt some sympathy for her fate, and he never really thanked her for saving him from Quan-Chi.

Sub-Zero started to move more aggressively as he thought of him! The pompous sorcerer! He was a psychopath to be sure, a twisted cretin with no regard for anything but something irrelevant as realm domination. He reveled in the fact that he landed some heavy blows upon his bald white face, and hoped he would burn wherever he was now.

Sub-Zero had also thought about the thunder god Raiden, what he had told him. He had evil in his heart, and if he had died in the Netherealm, he surely would have remained there. Sub-Zero shuddered at the thought of spending his afterlife in such a place. He could alter his destiny, and change. How could he? His hands were tainted with the blood of many, and he had a master to serve. If he deserted he would die. Still, he knew the thunder god's words would intrude his sleep forever.

However, none of the above scared him more than HIM. Shinnok, leader of the Netherealm. What in the hell was a monster like that doing existing in the universe? It was impossible to defeat him, and he barely escaped with his life when he transformed into that creature once the amulet was stolen. To think that he wanted control over the Earth and everything around it. He was thankful that he was trapped in the Netherealm forever. Let him rule over that wasteland. The Elder Gods were wise in their decision. He made the fabled Shao Kahn look like a mere minnow in waters filled with whales. Still, the fact that he still existed made him nervous, that it was possible that he could attack at any time. Would there be any hope if he did?

All of a sudden, Sub-Zero felt a cold chill whiz by him. He stopped his kata and endless train of thought to look in the direction of which the chill came from. At the door, he saw a young man with brown hair dressed in a Lin Kuei uniform. Sub-Zero smirked. It was his younger brother Chaolan, the only person he knew his whole life.

"Your aim is off," he teased.

"What can I say, brother?" Chaolan smirked back. "You move too much. What did that old sorcerer want with you a couple of weeks back?"

"He was Shang Tsung," said Sub-Zero. "He invited me to the legendary Mortal Kombat tournament."

"Are you serious?" asked Chaolan in excitement. "THE Mortal Kombat tournament? The very same that decides the fate of this planet?"

"The one and only," said Sub-Zero. "However, I'll just be on another mission. Apparently an old enemy of Shang Tsung's heard about this and is paying the Lin Kuei a healthy payment to have the sorcerer murdered. Really, Chaolan, the fate of Earth at Outworld's hands does not concern me. We all die in the end, and I do not fear death. This is just another mission."

Sub-Zero continued his kata. Chaolan was confused by this. Usually, his big brother would come back with a playful insult. But, ever since returning from his mission, he had been quiet.

"Something wrong?" asked Chaolan.

At that quote, Sub-Zero stopped his kata entirely. He turned slowly to face Chaolan, and he could already tell something was wrong. Sub-Zero decided after all of his thoughts that Shinnok's return was inevitable. Just in case, he wanted Chaolan to survive if he died. He had devoted his life to the Lin Kuei, but he still cared about his little brother. The thought of him suffering at the hands of such monsters as he had encountered previously made him uneasy.

"Come, Chaolan," he said. "We must talk."

XXX

Sub-Zero lead Chaolan all around the Lin Kuei complex, walking past new assassins in training. The whole way, Sub-Zero told him about his journey through the Temple of Elements and the Netherealm. Chaolan was in awe at his brother having survived all of this. It was a very interesting story to say the least. Finally, he was done.

"Amazing," said Chaolan. "You did battle with the gods and lived?" Sub-Zero was proud of such an accomplishment, but he kept his modesty in this case as he nodded.

"The Shirai Ryu ninja Scorpion," began Chaolan. "He still lives?"

"In the Netherealm he continues to die," said Sub-Zero. "Perhaps it is best he stays there."

"But you didn't murder his family," said Chaolan.

"Yes, I know," said Sub-Zero. "That sorcerer Quan-Chi did the deed, and managed to frame me for it. But how?"

Chaolan shrugged. "Quan-Chi sounds like a nasty sorcerer," he said.

"More," seethed Sub-Zero. He hated that sorcerer with a vengeance.

"So, tell me more about this Sareena," said Chaolan, a big knowing smile on his face. Sub-Zero saw this, and playfully punched his brother on the arm, knowing he was teasing him about his possible attraction to her.

"There is not much to tell, actually," said Sub-Zero. "Still, she saved my life. No one has ever done that for me, and probably never will again."

"Where is she now?" asked Chaolan.

"I don't know, and I sympathize with her soul," said Sub-Zero solemnly. He did, actually. He couldn't deny his attraction to her, and the thought of her suffering at Shinnok's hands for all of eternity for betrayal was very disturbing. Sometimes he had wished he had taken her with him out of the Netherealm instead of fearing for his own life, but he had a mission and it was accomplished. It was rare, though, that matters of duty and the heart came into conflict.

"So, this Shinnok," uttered Chaolan. "What is he?"

"A monster, and let's never speak of him again, please," Sub-Zero said rapidly, as if trying to end the conversation. Who could blame him, really?

"Sorry," said Chaolan. After that was silence. Sub-Zero realized the rudeness of his reply, and also remembered he had something to tell Chaolan.

"Chaolan, Shinnok was a cruel evil bastard," stated Sub-Zero, "who is deservingly dying in the Netherealm over which he claims to rule. However, I fear that may not last, which is what I needed to talk to you about."

At this quote, Chaolan was all ears.

"Should Shinnok ever appear from the Netherealm, I want you to remember something," Sub-Zero began. "Shinnok's power stems from the amulet I was telling you about. He could not escape the Netherealm without it. The key to destroying him is the amulet. All you must do is steal it from him and his power will cease. Remember that, Chaolan. If ever the time comes, remember that."

Chaolan was shocked at the urgency in his brother's voice. It was if he strongly believed Shinnok would return. Nevertheless, he nodded understandingly.

"Everything we discussed remains between us," said Sub-Zero. "No one must know about this experience of mine or anything else."

"I promise, brother," said Chaolan.

"Now I ask you to leave me," said Sub-Zero. "I must be alone." Chaolan bowed to his brother, and then just left. Sub-Zero watched his brother leave, hoping that Chaolan would apply his knowledge should that fateful day come. Perhaps it was paranoia, but he felt that Shinnok's return was inevitable. Somehow, someway, he knew he would attack again.

CHAPTER 2 COMING UP!


	2. Imprisoned

Shinnok roared in his demon form. Never had he been so enraged in his life. The amulet was in his possession. His domination of the realms had to be, but a mere mortal managed to enter his realm and steal it from him. How could this be? His name would be synonymous with embarassment for all time for this folley.

At this moment, Sareena began to stir. She had been knocked out by Shinnok with his powers after saving Sub-Zero from Quan-Chi. Her intention was to follow him out of the Netherealm, to finally be free of this worm ridden filth of a realm. To her absolute horror, she found herself inside Quan-Chi's sanctuary with her master in his demon form. She would hang for sure.

Shinnok sensed that Sareena was waking up and turned toward her. She could feel his burning eyes looking over her. It seethed on her skin, and she could already feel the fire lapping at her. She shook in fear. The thought of begging for her life occurred to her, but instead she chose to back away even though there was no escape.

Shinnok growled, stomping toward her. Finally, he rushed at her and slammed her against a wall. Then, with his huge hands, he grabbed her and threw her off the platform on which they stood. Sareena screamed as she kept falling. Shinnok jumped off and fell after her. Sareena landed hard on the steel floor at the bottom, while Shinnok landed with a loud thud on his feet. Sareena groaned in pain, not even bothering to get up. She was literally sweating blood due to the stress she was experiencing. Her life would end for sure. Shinnok just kept staring at her, his rage imminent. Finally, he spoke.

"Sareena, what is your excuse for your treason?" he asked, a demonic tone evident in his voice.

Sareena did not speak, instead choosing to remain silent in her shame and fear.

"Talk, woman!" Shinnok screamed, kicking her. Sareena screamed in pain at the force of the blow.

"You were hoping to escape from the Netherealm, were you not?" he asked. It was more than that, though. Sareena had no clue as to why, but Sub-Zero sparing her life touched her. Her whole life she had never known mercy. For someone to show that kindness, especially in fierce battle, didn't humiliate her for some reason. It ignited a fire in her soul. An interest of some sort. When one lives in hell, they reach for anything that is even remotely heaven. Of course, she also wanted to escape the Netherealm. She wanted out of this place more than anything, but she was also drawn to the Lin Kuei assassin. All of these thoughts crossed her mind, but she did not speak.

Shinnok all of a sudden transformed from his demon form to his seemingly human-life form. He hovered towards Sareena. She shook in fear every inch he took towards her. He used his powers to lift her into the air so they could make eye contact.

"Because of you, my sacred amulet is once more out of my possession, as is my chance to free us all from this damned realm," said Shinnok. "Because of you, I have lost all contact with the sorcerer Quan-Chi, who is perhaps our one hope of ever escalating to see the surface. Because of you, the mortal who made this all possible is out free. It seems as if he did not care for your safety. He was too busy trying to save his own hide."

Sareena hid it, as she did all her emotions, but Shinnok's words crushed her. She knew they were true. "So, tell me, Sareena," he continued. "What should I do with you?"

She still remained silent. She wished Shinnok would just get her fate over with. They both knew what would happen. Shinnok was torturing her and loving every second of it.

"Sir, do with me whatever you wish," she uttered.

"So shall it be," said Shinnok. "It's a shame, Sareena. You were a very loyal servant." At this, Shinnok used telekenesis to slam Sareena into the wall again. Then, Shinnok used his power to transport her somewhere……

XXX

When Sareena awoke, she was on heated ground naked. She stood and attempted to cover any sensitive part of her body. She looked around her. Pillars of skeletons emerged from the lava that seemed to surround her. Immediately, she felt sick when realized where she was: the 5th plane of the Netherealm. Here was where the worst of souls were tortured in ways never thought possible. She felt like crying, but didn't. She then jumped in shock when she heard a splash come from the lava. A creature had emerged from there. It was inhumane by all means, as its flesh was barely covering his visible skeletal system, and he had two heads. One resembling a dragon and the other a rotted human face with no eyeballs or tongue, but very sharp teeth. Sareena stood in a fighting stance, not willing to go down without a fight, though she couldn't help but feel ashamed as she forced herself to uncover what she was hiding.

The demon gave her no second chance. It ran at her, roaring all the way. Sareena dodged it, but then the demon backhanded her, knocking her down. As soon as she was done, the demon jumped on top of her. Sareena struggled and cried out, but it wouldn't get up, as its weight was immense compared to her own.

The monster cried out in a deep voice, and at that moment at least ten monsters emerged from the lava, some carrying weapons. They all surrounded her, and smiled a bit.

Sareena then realized what the monsters were planning to do with her. They desired her. Sareena shook her head and screamed, squirming even more under the monsters. This pleased them, as they began to roar in unison, almost sounding happy. The monster on top of her started to move his bloody skeletal hands up and down her flesh, feeling on her curves. Sareena was stimulated by this, but felt dirty. She struggled to get the monster off of her, tears in her eyes as she did so, but then one of the demons kicked her in the head. She felt dazed and slowly began to black out, in a way thankful that she was. She accepted the darkness fully as it enveloped her. She did not want to feel what she knew was coming….

XXX

She awoke in immense pain. Immense could not describe what she was feeling. The incineration being put on her due to the lava all around. As Sareena continued to writhe in agony, her own screams suffocated and the lava going down her throat all the way inside her, she cursed. Once the demons were busy letting loose their sick desires on her, they had dumped her inside of the lava. She couldn't breathe, and the burn continued. She had never known such torture, and could do nothing but squirm violently as the lava contiued to eat away at her. She could not even swim out if she tried, and felt herself sinking lower and lower and lower into the lava, continously burning and suffocating. She prayed for death, a third death, but knew it would never come, and the torture of that thought was that much more.

This routine would continue. She was blind, deaf, and all she could feel was pain. Once in a while, she could tell a demon coming to swim her out only so that it could use her for sexual purposes once more, and then toss her back into the lava. It was always a humiliating thing, but as time went on, she could tolerate it because she guiltily thought of Sub-Zero every time it happened. In a way, it was like a short-lived joy for her. She could not hate him for leaving her here. He had his reasons, she was sure. It took many a year, but Sareena adapted to life in this hell. She was eventually able to gain her eyesight and hearing back and her fighting skills had increased with her strength, and she was able to fend off the demons that attempted to attack her in any way, putting them through an unmerciful fate. What horrified her was when she gained her sight back. Eventually, she saw she had lost all of her human form. She was now a grotesque monster with no flesh, no hair, just a boiled charred body. She found that she couldn't even talk right. Her voice had been lowered to deep grunts. Out of pure rage and anger at her position, sometimes she would throw herself into the lava to cause pain to herself, or sometimes she would attack another Netherealm demon, putting them through the same torture she endured her first days here. She tore them apart, leaving them in pieces. Sometimes, it would end up she herself who would get beaten, but no matter. She would fight another day.

Indeed the Netherealm took its toll on her very sanity. It not only tortured her physically, it ravaged her mental stability. She couldn't do anything but endure the hell of getting tortured, torturing others, and even torturing herself. Death had to be somewhere across here, but she never found it, and she never would.

And when she got at least 10 seconds with no harm around the corner, she often thought of Sub-Zero, the one man who showed her any type of kindness not in the line of duty.

Indeed, those who must endure Hell for many years will fall in love very easily.

XXX

Kia and Jataaka stood on the Prison of Souls balcony, overseeing all of the operations. They would not admit it to anyone, but they missed Sareena and secretly conversed about her recent betrayal and all the possible reasons for it.

"She was in love with the ninja," said Jataaka.

"Impossible!" said Kia. "No one can fall in love here. It is a useless feeling."

"True," said Jataaka. "But…..I am not sure."

"Yes," said Kia. "Jataaka, if you had a chance to escape from here, would you?"

"Without question," whispered Jataaka. She didn't want anyone knowing that fact, even though everyone who resided in there thought the same.

"Sometimes I wish it was I who had defeated Quan-Chi," said Kia. "It must have been satisfying for Sareena to land that blow on him. I know it would have been for me."

"Why?" asked Jataaka.

Kia remained silent. Jataaka nodded, knowing what Kia meant. Quan-Chi not only saw her as a servant, but as a tool. A tool of pleasure. Many times, he demanded that Kia pleasure him or else she would die. He did this behind Shinnok's back. Shinnok may have been a sadistic ruler and master, but he would never force a servant to humiliate him or herself like that. Had he found out about such sinful things, he would have Quan-Chi killed. Of course, Kia was too ashamed to talk about it, and only Jataaka and Sareena knew about it, but even they kept silent about it. Honor among warriors. It was times like these Jataaka was grateful to have a grotesque appearance.

"I must see her," said Kia. "Excuse me." She would be quick about it.

XXX

Sareena bit into the demon's chest and ripped off a whole slab of its skin off. It roared in pain. Sareena then head-butted the demon into the lava.

"Impressive," said a voice. Sareena turned to see Kia. She then spoke in the Oni tongue so Sareena could understand her. Kia knew she could not speak the human language no more.

"I need to ask you something," she asked. "Why did you betray our lord Shinnok?"

Sareena replied in the Oni tongue, grunting and growling.

"Of course, escape the Netherealm," Kia acknowledged. "But the ninja…..did you feel something for him?" At that, Sareena roared and rushed at Kia, but she blocked it and kicked Sareena in her chest, then performed a roundhouse at her face, knocking her to the ground.

Sareena got up slowly and glared at Kia.

"Now you see the price of betrayal, Sareena," she said. "These human emotions make things complicated. Our world is here, and that's how it will always be."

Sareena spoke in the Oni tongue, translated: "Why are you here, Kia?"

"To see you for what you are and to remind myself of my own loyalty, and why I keep doing this," she answered. "Is it worth it?"

"For all I've been through here," replied Sareena, "I have come to see that there are things worth living for. The emotion I experienced for that short while, and to deliver a punch at our wretched sorcerer's face, in a way was all worth it. True, I wish I wasn't here, but I'm glad I was able to experience. See, I no longer need to serve Shinnok, instead I remain either being tortured or torturing. You still serve a master, Kia, and I would not trade places with you for a second. Anyway, you should thank me. I took care of Quan-Chi for you. Now he can't put you through the humiliation that he did. Although if you are here to treat me this way, I wished I hadn't, so that I could continue to see you sell yourself like the pompous whore that you are."

At that statement, Kia went silent. Sareena took this opportunity to punch her in the face and that flip kick her into lava, but Kia quickly grabbed onto a pedestal and climbed on the platform, and ran and ran. Sareena wasn't sure, but she thought she saw tears come from Kia's eyes.

Perhaps her words were a bit harsh, but they were true. The point is, they all wanted to be free of the Netherealm. But they never would be…..somehow, whether it was being tortured or serving Shinnok, they were all imprisoned in more ways than one.

CHAPTER 3 COMING UP!!


End file.
